“Give me a f#*#ing old pickup to figure out, and I’ll lock myself in the shop, and just like being on drugs, looking at history in my hands and getting into the minds of the people who touched that pickup, the women who actually MADE the pickups as most did. I love the reverse-engineering process and the knowledge hidden in these archaeological tone artifacts. Crazy, huh?”
By Juha Ruokangas of Ruokangas Custom Guitars When it comes to electric guitars, the Gibson Les Paul was for sure my first love. I’ve often thought about why, and I guess I have to admit the actual reason was how the Les Paul looked – or better yet – how the rock stars looked and […]
By Jessie Ian Hopkins It takes guts to follow your passion—your calling—or whatever you want to label that which, in your heart of hearts, you know you must do with your life. It takes, even more to do it on your own and especially when your vocation doesn’t fall neatly within traditional parameters. Therefore, it […]
By Steve Rider Guitar Connoisseur: You were born in France and now live in Quebec, Canada. What brought you to The New World? Loïc Bortot: In 2011, at the age of 22, I was facing a crossroads in my life. I was no longer interested in pursuing a long college education, making much money, and had […]
The history of rock music will forever be highlighted by a select few who managed to achieve far greater heights than their contemporaries. Jimi Hendrix is one with the sheer brilliance and expertise par excellence had no boundaries or restrictions to limit his potential and the magic he was capable of with the guitar. With […]
By Steve Rider The guitar is an instrument with many faces and names. It’s possible that no other instrument can claim the numerous facets of the indomitable six-string. Whether it’s a sleek modern instrument made for the agile shredder or the roughed-up old acoustic in the weathered hands of a Delta Bluesman, the guitar has […]
By Jesse Ian Hopkins When I was a young(er) luthier, I worked for a guy who used to say, “With guitar making, you have to sneak your innovations in quietly.” This echoed something that I read in Bob Benedetto’s book that where he wrote, “Evolution is a slow process with the prolific makers at the […]
By Howard Paul In 48 years of Benedetto Guitars, three things remain constant: • Adhering to tradition for unfailing techniques and designs.• Innovating for the sake of improvement only when tradition fails to produce sonic and structural consistency.• Listening to the professional players while providing uncompromising quality and playability. In my ten years working alongside […]
By Steve Rider Dake Traphagen is an amazingly accomplished luthier with style firmly rooted in the traditional. At first glance, his instruments may seem very conservative in style, but upon closer inspection, the attention to tiny details jumps out at you. Dake pays tribute to the long history of luthiery with his unassuming style yet […]
Words and Photographs by Rory Anson LUTHIER ROGER GIFFIN CELEBRATES 50-YEARS OF BUILDING GUITARS FOR ROCK & ROLL’S ELITE In 2019 I visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and had an opportunity to check out Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll. This exhibit offers visitors a rare glimpse at […]
